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WELCOME TO HOW I Spend My Money, a series on The Journal that looks at how people in Ireland really handle their finances.
Are you a spender, a saver or a splurger? We’re asking readers to keep a record of how much they earn, what they save if anything, and what they’re spending their money on over the course of one week. If you’re interested send a mail to money@thejournal.ie. We would love to hear from you.
Each money diary is submitted by readers just like you. When reading and commenting, bear in mind that their situation will not be relatable for everyone, it is simply an account of a week in their shoes, so let’s be kind.
Last time around, we heard from a factory worker on €38K living in the west of the country. This week, an assistant lecturer on €46K living in the Midwest.
I currently live in a small town in the mid-west and just changed jobs recently which is now an hour and a half away from my home. Alongside my current role as an assistant lecturer, I am studying for a PhD and taking a night class in garment design as a hobby until mid-December. I love to travel and have been away a lot in the past few years with my work, visiting small towns across Europe and it’s great to have that experience away from the big cities. I live with my son (23) who is an apprentice and we have a small dog who is a pure dote.
I am fortunate to own my home through an inheritance, so I don’t have rent/mortgage to pay. I used to save up to €600 a month, but with taking the new job and the added cost in travel and other expenses, I have reduced it to €300 a month on top of putting money away for travel and house maintenance.
Occupation: Assistant lecturer
Age: 40s
Location: The Midwest
Salary: €46,000
Monthly pay (net): €2,855, which includes my AVC payments of roughly €150
I also get a house contribution from my son of €250 per month and I put this away for him into a savings account that he doesn’t know about. I am hoping that this will come in helpful in the purchase of his first car/insurance.
I have calculated my bills and general expenses based on the yearly average and I have set up auto payments to put away money monthly into my Revolut pockets. I count these as outgoings once the payments go into Revolut, rather than when I use them. Even though most payments go out automatically every month, there are some payments annually, so I have them going into a pocket every month throughout the year to avoid any nasty surprises.
Transport: €500 (between the new commute and my son is learning to drive, so my petrol costs have increased)
Tolls: €70
Broadband and phone (for two mobiles): €75
Groceries: €240
Subscriptions: €18 (Spotify and Prime)
Car/Home insurance: €230
Heating oil: €150
Electric: €110
Holiday fund: €120
House costs: (boiler servicing and LPT, TV etc.): €115
Misc fund: €100
Savings: €300
Total: €2,028
***
7.15 am: Leave the house for work. It is a quieter day with only a few lectures, so I have time to develop materials for classes throughout the week.
10.30 am: Have a break and have my breakfast which I brought from home – Greek yogurt, honey, seeds and frozen raspberries. I grab a coffee around which is €2.30.
2.00 pm: Grab soup and a sandwich (€7) and before heading back to the office, get a tea (€1.60) to have later. I use my own insulated cup, so I get 25c off every hot drink purchase which is a bonus.
7.00 pm: I have my sewing class and so I go straight there without going home. I make sure I have my water bottled filled and some rice cakes in the car for when I am moving about like this.
9.00 pm: Tonight’s dinner is some reheated stew that I made on the weekend, nothing fancy but does the job.
Today’s total: €10.90
7.15 am: Leave the house for work and before heading out the door, take my daily shot of my homemade immunity booster with a banana.
10.00 am: I grab some hot breakfast in the canteen after the first class (€4.50) and have my own yogurt pot later in between classes.
2.30 pm: I get a full lunch for €8.50.
4.00 pm: I bring some energy snacks I make at home and have them with a cuppa before my last class.
5.30 pm: I stay with a relative on Tuesday nights, so I go to the local Dunnes and get some extra shopping to make my evening meal (€11 from grocery pocket) and as it is my last week of staying before the Christmas, I get some food hamper gifts for them. This costs around €50.
8.30 pm: After catching up on the chat, I go out for a walk and when I come back, watch two episodes of Hart of Dixie on Amazon Prime. I am re-watching the series as it had been about 10 years since I saw it first and thought I would give it a second shot. I’m surprised how comedic it is.
11.30 pm: Bed.
Today’s total: €63.00 (€11.00 spend from grocery spend from pocket)
8.15 am: I leave a little later as I am staying close to the campus.
11.00 am: I grab a tea and some breakfast on campus (€5.50) with colleagues that I only see about once a week.
1.00 pm: I grab lunch of soup, a sandwich and snack (€9.50) before heading back to the office to do some work
4.30 pm: Drive home but on the way, I make sure to top up with petrol on the way (€40 taken from the fuel pocket) and go straight to my sewing class for 6.30pm.
9.00 pm: I am exhausted after the class and on the way home, although I know I have food at home, I go for a takeaway (€15).
Today’s total: €30.00 (not including €40 from fuel pocket)
7.15 am: Leave for work and have classes from 9am today.
11.00 am: I have my own breakfast and snacks today, but I pick up a coffee. (€2.30)
3.00 pm: I grab a tea (€1.60) in the canteen and take it away with me to meet a colleague about a project.
4.00 pm: We wrap up our work quicker than expected, so I decide to take a trip into the city to do some shoe shopping. I am looking for some comfortable everyday walking shoes, so I go into the Ecco shop and I buy two pairs of trainers (€190 taken from the Misc fund) and parking close by cost of €2.50.
7.00 pm: Arrive home and ready for food, so I have the chickpea curry I made on the weekend and was supposed to have yesterday.
8.30 pm: I go with my son in the car for a spin for about an hour and then when we get back, I take the dog for a walk.
10.30 pm: I sit down with a cup of tea and watch an episode of the Hart of Dixie before heading to bed.
Today’s total: €6.40 (€190 taken from Revolut Misc pocket)
8.45 am: I login to my work account from home and from 9am I am in project meetings and catch ups.
11.00 am: I meet up with a friend and we grab a coffee and a mince pie in the local deli (€5.60).
1.00 pm: I have been thinking of something savoury and sweet for lunch, so I make some French toast using some round crispy bread rolls and top them off with Follains Lemon curd (which is absolutely my favourite guilty secret) and some raspberries.
2.00 pm: I get back to work and finish for the day at 5pm.
5.30 pm: I take my son out for driving practice and we head to Kilkenny and have a quick browse around Dunnes Stores. We get some weekend grocery shopping in (€15) and have a good browse before he drives us back home.
8.00 pm: I take the dog for a walk when I get back and then have a cuppa and watch another two episodes of Hart of Dixie. There are 22 per season, so I have a long way to go…
11.30 pm: I head to bed.
Today’s total: €5.60 (€15.00 from grocery pocket)
9.00 am: I try and get up early on the weekend and get the washing on, quick house tidy, let the robovac do its job. My body is a little tense from all the driving during the week, so I go for a dip in the river outside Freshford. I try and get into either a river or a lake at least once a week. It’s something I have been doing for over 10 years (when I used to live by the sea) and now it has become a ritual I try to keep up regularly, even in the winter. I love the cold snap I get from the river and there is nothing that beats the feeling from the cold water. I am careful though to watch the water after a big rain and often give it a few days before I get in so any runoff can clear. On the way back, I grab an Earl Grey tea (€3.20) in the petrol station and let it warm my hands for a bit before driving back home.
11.00 am: I make some toasted ham, cheese sandwiches with spiced fig chutney and I then work on some work for my PhD research until 3pm.
3.30 pm: I have tickets with my friend for the Munster rugby match in Thomond so I pick up my friend and we head down to Limerick. We used to make about two a year, but now since I moved back home to Ireland in 2022, we aim to make as many of the Munster games throughout the year as possible. To do this, we book the terrace tickets to save some money. I transfer €30 to her for the tickets and once we get to Thomond we go straight for the hotdog stand. It has become our rugby ritual. I am on the cups of tea tonight as the driver, which also doubles as a hand warmer, which comes in handy as the weather is a bit nippy. (€15)
8.00 pm: We stop in the services on the way back, for a final cup of tea (€3.20) to get us home.
Today’s total: €51.40
8.30 am: I get up and head out for another dip in the river this morning and then on my way back, do some shopping (€40 from shopping pocket) and get some petrol (€70 taken from the fuel pocket).
10.30 am: I get home and I find that after a cold water dip, my mind is better focused and I get a whole lot more done, so I put away the shopping, give the house a good clean and then relax with a cuppa and some breakfast.
1.00 pm: I roast a chicken and cook some trimmings, make a chickpea curry and a meat ragu for the freezer. I freeze four portions each of the ragu and the curry for quick evening meals throughout the week.
4.00 pm: We have an early dinner and I make some portions to use in sandwiches during the week.
5.00 pm: I take some time to relax and sit on the couch for a bit and just let me mind rest for a bit before I start on some prep for Monday.
7.00 pm: I make about 20 small date and nut bites for the week. This takes me about 45 minutes. I buy the Yogi and Yousef dates in Dunnes Stores (they have the most amazing caramel flavour) and I blend them with some peanut butter, honey and cocoa powder, roll them into balls, then dip in dark choc and top with a bit of blue Persian salt and stick them in the fridge. They don’t last long though…
8.00 pm: I have an idea about having a holiday, so I go on the computer and look at some flight options on Google Flights for a quick break before Christmas and find a fantastic return flight to Tenerife for four nights. I book it (€60), I add hostel accommodation by the beach and car parking at the airport for an extra €200 and take the money from the holiday pocket.
9.30 pm: Delighted with my last-minute holiday to look forward to, I take the dog out for her walk: it freshens me up. When I get home, I start preparing for Monday morning by packing up my laptop bag and having that ready to pick up and head out the door in the morning. I also prepare some yogurts, put them into the fridge, pop some dark choc rice cakes and date snacks into the work bag and make sure my keys are on the counter.
11.00 pm: I give the kitchen a quick once over and then I head to bed.
Today’s total: €0.00 (€370 from existing pockets)
***
What I learned -
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